One of the several nocturnally active Tubastreas we found at Tagus Cove.  Isla Isabela, Islas Galápagos, Ecuador   -    Depth 40 feet

*  At the time of our dives, Tagus Cove was a world-class night diving site. Among its attractions were numerous colonies of the non reef-building Hard Corals (Tubastraea tagusensis), all  in shades of yellow and orange.  At night, when the corals extended their polyps, the middle depths along the walls at were a riot of color, and night diving was a remarkable experience. 

These Tubastreas  were among a number of organisms believed to be extinct, victims of a warming of the waters about the Galápagos Islands in the El Niño of 1982.  Fortunately, specimens of several such have now been discovered at various spots throughout the Galápagos.

Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela, Islas Galápagos, Ecuador - Depth 40 feet or 12 meters